


Love (Loyalty)

by silveradept



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Abusive Relationships, F/F, Jealousy, Kuvira Still Has A Temper, Unhealthy Relationships, Zhu Li Works With Kuvira
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 20:31:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20841584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silveradept/pseuds/silveradept
Summary: Zhu Li and Kuvira have disagreements about logistics, Kuvira ends the discussion before her temper fully takes off, and then Zhu Li and Kuvira have dinner together, where Bolin attends.





	Love (Loyalty)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [engmaresh](https://archiveofourown.org/users/engmaresh/gifts).

"The southwest should be our next target," Kuvira said, circling several of the states on the map with her finger.

"No." Zhu Li replied, with a small shake of her head.

"There are abundant resources there, and the former Fire Nation colonies would willingly join us if they were given the opportunity."

"No." Zhu Li said again.

Kuvira looked up from the map. Zhu Li's face was impassive, as always.

"Would you care to enlighten me with your reasoning, Zhu Li?" Kuvira ground out, aggravated that she had to ask at all.

"Your logistics and supply lines are a mess," Zhu Li replied. "It will take you a month to move the people and materiel to where you want to go, and there's a risk they'll be noticed before they all arrive and ambushed. If you spend that month consolidating, feeding your new people, and figuring out where new lines should be built, you'll be able to get them all to the southwest in two weeks after that month gets spent, and there's a high probability they'll all arrive together."

"That assumes I want to move anything like a military force there, Zhu Li. Diplomacy is always my first tactic, and has been my most fruitful one." Kuvira frowned. "I thought we understood each other on this." 

"There's not enough reward for the risk," Zhu Li replied calmly. "Moving into the southwest puts you far too close to the doors of the United Republic for their comfort. Your best hope is that it _only_ attracts the attention of Raikou and the United Forces."

"Who else would it bother? The Fire Lord is not interested in matters beyond her borders, the Air Nation wouldn't risk themselves, and the Water Tribes have no issue with us."

Zhu Li looked over her spectacles at Kuvira, trying to keep her expression neutral. For as long as she had known her, Zhu Li had found Kuvira restless. She had learned a certain amount of patience by having to watch battle and processes resolve, but it always seemed to Zhu Li that Kuvira would much rather have been off fighting somewhere else and leaving the matter of governance and support to others. She was a soldier. She wanted to lead and fight and keep moving, and only then, when all was done, would she think about slowing down.

"The Avatar is always interested in things that could upset the balance," she said, instead.

"The Avatar is currently embroiled in mediating a dispute between the Spirit World and the human one. She'll be running all over the world for years before anything will happen," Kuvira replied, making a dismissive gesture. "Unifying the former Earth Kingdoms under a single Empire would help preserve the balance, rather than destroy it, so the Avatar should be thanking me, not interfering."

It took a significant act of will on Zhu Li's part not to grimace at Kuvira's reasoning. Kuvira understood battles and orders and proclamations, but she did not understand the first thing about _people_ and actually running what she had already acquired. Her idea of "diplomacy" often meant showing up with a large military force and then asking whether someone wanted to surrender willingly or be crushed summarily.

"The Avatar is likely to take it personally if you start threatening the United Republic. She might have been born to the Water Tribe, but Republic City is her _home_." Zhu Li said, continuing to try and get Kuvira away from a dangerous position. "If you threaten that, she will retaliate, and the people will believe her if she says you're a threat to the balance."

"By unifying these disparate fiefdoms under one danger, I'm contributing to making things _more _ balanced and harmonious. The Avatar should be thanking me, rather than fighting me." Kuvira rose from the table, shaking her head. "Why are you so set on discouraging me, Zhu Li? The sooner we are all united, the sooner we can recover and build our strength again."

Zhu Li rubbed her temples and listened for Kuvira to start pacing. It wasn't pacing, as such, not in the same way that men in boardrooms moved in straight lines, their footfalls meant to imply the weight of the decisions they were considering and the strength of the man charged with making those decisions. Varrick preferred a particular place in his office to pace where he knew the sound of his feet would echo, telling everyone around him that he was thinking important thoughts.

Kuvira moved as a dancer did, light on her feet, stepping to a rhythm Zhu Li did not follow completely. Zhu Li felt she could learn so much about Kuvira just by watching her feet, but also knew there would be so much more available if Kuvira would let the rest of her body follow the dance she was clearly recreating in her steps.

"Unification is a first step," Zhu Li said. "There is no victory in completing an Empire in territory that cannot govern itself after."

Zhu Li realized she'd made a mistake immediately. Kuvira kept her face from showing emotion as she turned to Zhu Li, but her feet telegraphed the disruption to her rhythm in the same way a poor note was immediately apparent to a trained ear.

"Governance is your job, is it not, Zhu Li?" Kuvira asked, sounding indifferent but standing square. The stance of an earthbender ready to fight.

"So you have told me," Zhu Li replied.

"Yet you seem to be very interested in giving me advice on how to run _my_ campaign," Kuvira said, glaring at Zhu Li. 

Zhu Li felt pressure on the back of her neck from the necklace Kuvira had given to her as a sign of her office. Kuvira gave people power and authority, but she always maintained a method of control whenever she delegated. It would be the work of a moment for her sign of office to be the method used to remove her from it. She closed her eyes and waited.

"But that's what I like about you," Kuvira said. "You are willing to offer me your true opinions, even when you fear they will upset me." The pressure lessened on Zhu Li's neck. Zhu Li knew that one day, Kuvira would not relent, but until then, she intended to give her the best counsel she could. A united Earth Empire was needed to maintain balance and to prevent the resurgence of the war the Fire Nation had waged centuries ago. Kuvira was the most likely person to be able to carry out that dream. Her bending skills made her formidable to any opponent, but she had also found an idea that appealed to many citizens, promising them peace, stability, and consistent food supplies in exchange for their loyalty. So far, Zhu Li had been able to make those promises into a reality.

So far, Kuvira still liked her. Zhu Li could appreciate Kuvira's charisma and charm, backed by a deep well of strength and a body toned through the martial arts. There was much to love about Kuvira, but Zhu Li reminded herself of the spark of anger she had seen in Kuvira's eyes at apparent disloyalty, and promised herself that she would not forget what she had seen when Kuvira had ordered, and then performed, as discipline for betrayal. For all the ways Kuvira was the person her soul had cried out for, Zhu Li told herself she would not fall so far in love that she forgot Kuvira's other side.

Zhu Li feared she was failing. Because the challenge seduced her at least as much as Kuvira did. Building an empire from the fractured states was difficult, but each success felt incredible. The pride she had at putting everything together and making sure it was administered well always came with the certainty that Kuvira would soon be adding to her responsibilities. Zhu Li could put off thinking about what would happen when they were done for some time, but she knew that the Kuvira of the here and now would not simply step aside and allow a competent civil service to take over when there were no more states to attack.

"I would like more of your true opinion," Kuvira said. "Do you desire me, Zhu Li?"

"The time we spend crying out each others' name in ecstasy should answer that," Zhu Li replied dryly.

Kuvira laughed. "We are beautiful, you and I, but we both have long since learned that a lady can hide her true feelings behind a fan and a man cannot tell the difference. Which do you desire more, Zhu Li? Myself or my empire?"

Zhu Li would have been extremely grateful for a fan to hide behind, but instead she seized on the one genuine reply she could make without answering Kuvira.

"It is still early to talk of Empire. Far too many states remain outside of your benevolence," she said, adopting the same tone she had used to try to discourage the expedition to the southwest. "I cannot desire what has not yet happened."

That was also a mistake, Zhu Li realized as Kuvira fixed her with a glare.

"Should I be worried you don't believe in me, Zhu Li?" Kuvira mocked. "I thought you were here because you believed in my vision of a united Earth Empire."

Zhu Li opened her mouth to say something, but her badge of office bent swiftly around her throat, cutting off most of her air supply.

"You pledged your _life_ to this cause," Kuvira snarled. "You said you would follow me everywhere. You are here because I believed you, Zhu Li. Is my confidence misplaced?"

Zhu Li shook her head no, trying to breathe more deeply than she could, feeling her consciousness staring to fade out, hands on the metal, trying to pull it off, when it relaxed abruptly.

"Good," Kuvira said, back to her usual demeanor. "I am glad we understand each other. If you have no further objections, I would love to have your company tonight for dinner, and then we can begin drawing up plans for how we will engage to the southwest."

Zhu Li nodded, not yet trusting her throat to make appropriate sound.

Kuvira strode out, leaving Zhu Li by herself. She had known Kuvira to be strong-willed, to insist on rigorous discipline with her soldiers, but this was the first time she'd really hurt Zhu Li. She felt around her throat where the badge and its necklace had tried to choke her. Well, almost choke her. She'd been able to breathe, just not well.

There wasn't much to do but to make herself presentable for dinner. She checked to make sure nothing had fallen out of place or had creased the wrong way on her uniform.

A light knock on the door interrupted her preparations.

"Come in," she said, settling the last fold into its proper place.

"Colonel Moon?" said an unfamiliar voice. He looked like one of the new bending recruits, but his uniform said he was already well-established as an officer.

"I'm sorry, have we met?" she asked.

"Once formally. I'm Bolin. Are you all right, ma'am?" Bolin said, his eyes lingering a little too long on her neck.

"I'm fine, thank you," she replied, and hoped that she sounded convincing enough.

"I'm here to escort you to dinner," he said, offering an arm. "Are you ready?"

She thought about taking his arm, but decided she didn't want Kuvira to have any reason to suspect her of anything. It would have been innocent to anyone else, and maybe to Kuvira on some other day.

"Thank you, I'll walk, Bolin."

In this particular case, dinner meant having the mess to themselves.

"Oh, Bolin, please stay," Kuvira said as he made ready to leave. "I trust we can rely on your confidence?"

Bolin nodded solemnly.

Kuvira smiled warmly as Zhu Li sat next to her. The food smelled appetizing, but she waited for Kuvira to take the first bite before beginning to eat herself.

"I'm so glad we have you, Zhu Li," Kuvira said in between mouthfuls. "I heard from Bolin today that your logistics plans and train schedules have made it much easier to keep our population happy and better able to fend off bandits and scavengers that try to prey on them."

"Earth Empire soldiers are extremely good at keeping out unwanted influences," Bolin said. "It's really been helpful to know when the next shipment will arrive and to make good on that promise. It instills confidence in the people and makes them trust us more."

"I think we'll be heading toward the southwest more in the future," Kuvira said. "Did you say you had family in Republic City?"

"My brother is there," Bolin said. "He's on the police force there, under Captain Beifong."

Zhu Li darted her eyes to Kuvira, but she seemed relaxed and didn't startle or otherwise show that the name had caused her any sort of reaction.

"Is that where Lin ended up?" Kuvira said, either genuinely surprised or faking it well enough to fool Zhu Li. "Seems like a waste of her talents as a metalbender." 

"She's in her element, figuratively speaking." Bolin said. "It would be nice to see Mako again, and Lin, and Korra."

"You know Avatar Korra personally?" Kuvira asked.

"Yeah. Korra, Mako, and I were a pro-bending team. We won the league the year Amon attacked." Bolin smiled.

"That's useful information to know if Avatar Korra wants to talk with us about helping the people in our borders," Kuvira said, smiling again. 

The rest of the dinner passed in small talk and Bolin and Zhu Li putting their heads together on how to best serve the populations currently far away from the train lines. When the food was done, Bolin gave polite thanks and left.

Kuvira smiled and sat back in her chair. "I think that was a very productive dinner," she she said. 

"I agree. The new logistics lines will make it easier for everyone," Zhu Li said.

Kuvira rose. Zhu Li steeled herself for what would happen next, but Kuvira leaned in and kissed her on the cheek, and then more firmly on the lips. 

"I still love you," Kuvira said to her. "I forgive you. Come to bed when you're ready."

Kuvira kissed her again before exiting, leaving Zhu Li alone with her thoughts. There was a lot she needed to do for those logistics plans she had sketched out with Bolin over the table. And she also needed a night's sleep to help forget today. Kuvira would be affectionate in bed, and that would also be welcome.

Zhu Li sighed, and made a mental note to herself to get up early and talk some more with Bolin about the trains in the morning. Tonight, Zhu Li needed some time with her lover, instead of the Earth Empire's leader, and she intended to get as much of that promised affection from Kuvira while she could.


End file.
